Man City v Young Boys LIVE: Champions League result and reaction as City cruise into knockouts

As things stand, Manchester City confirm their place in the Champions League knockouts this evening. The holders are on course to continue their perfect start to this season’s campaign.

Newcastle United waited 20 years to play in the Champions League again and it feels safe to predict that it will not take them two decades to return, but an adventure threatens to end early. As Borussia Dortmund did a double over Eddie Howe’s team, the destroyers of Paris Saint-Germain could see their own hopes in ruins. The casualties from the group of death might include Newcastle, and if so, this may go down as a game too far, rendering their task too tough.

They had beaten Manchester United and Arsenal with weakened teams but there was no treble. Dortmund had been eviscerated by an Englishman, after Harry Kane’s hat-trick in Der Klassiker, but not an English club. Newcastle found it altogether harder than Bayern Munich to prosper at the Signal Iduna Park. If Newcastle are a buying club and Dortmund a selling one, the Bundesliga side may derive particular pleasure from the identity of two of their three goalscorers over 180 minutes that have transformed the group: Felix Nmecha, bought when Jude Bellingham was sold, at St James’ Park and Niclas Fullkrug, perhaps a belated replacement for Erling Haaland, in the rematch.

This competition has the capacity to reward the unlikely lads, as Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff had shown for Newcastle, but they do not have a monopoly on tales of endearing rises from relatively humble origins. Fullkrug was more accustomed to scoring in the German second division but, at 30, he had a first Champions League goal to add to the two he scored in last year’s World Cup. Julian Brandt, the classiest player on the pitch, completed victory on home soil and Dortmund, so timid in their opening night defeat to PSG, have seven points in three games since then, the six accrued against Newcastle forged from sweat.

45+1 mins: A simple half of football is falling into place perfectly for Manchester City who are on the verge of qualifying for the knockout rounds.

They’ve won every game in the Champions League so far and are two goals to the good against a Young Boys side that are hanging in there, trying not to concede too many goals.

45+1 mins: Lovely goal from Phil Foden.

Jack Grealish receives it on the inside left channel. He comes inside then pings a ball over to Foden on the opposite side of the pitch.

Foden brings it under control, takes on Ulisses Garcia, skips around the defender then nestles the ball into the back of the net from the right side of the penalty area.

45 mins: One minute to play at the end of the first half.

41 mins: Oh this is new. Young Boys have a bit of possession and work it nicely up the pitch. It gets flicked to the far side of the box where Merchack Ella brings it under control.

He looks for Cedric Itten in the middle but the pass is intercepted. City clear the ball as far out as Jack Grealish who is then brought down illegally.

38 mins: Manchester City have created eight attempts so far with five on target. They’ve only scored once though which is to Young Boys’ credit. They’ve been okay defensively but have offered nothing in attack.

35 mins: Chance! Phil Foden knocks a beautifully weighted pass into the box for an overlapping run from Kyle Walker. Walker gets to the ball and whips a cross to the back post where Saidy Janko dinks the ball into the knee of Erling Haaland.

Haaland still turns it towards goal but there’s no power in the shot and Anthony Racioppi scoops it up without too much trouble.

32 mins: There’s a nice tempo to the game for Manchester City. It’s like a training ground drill where they keep the ball and find new ways to get into the box.

Rico Lewis flicks one over the top and picks out Erling Haaland but he can’t find a teammate with a cutback and the ball is cleared away.